Ambassador: US wants more Canadian ‘progress’ on climate

“It does,” Jacobson said, according to the paper. “I think that there are an awful lot of folks who are trying to make up their minds, and trying to draw the right balance between these two things, who I think will be moved by progress.

“There has been progress. As I’ve said many times before, there needs to be more progress,” he said.

Jacobson “took pains” to note that he was not drawing a direct link to Keystone or suggesting stronger Canadian action on climate change will ensure U.S. approval of the project.

But the remarks nonetheless arrive amid speculation that potential White House approval of Keystone — a project green groups oppose due to carbon emissions from the oil sands — could be tethered to some kind of action on climate change.

Canadian officials, as they lobby the Obama administration to greenlight Keystone, are seeking to emphasize their commitment to battling global warming, and collaboration with the U.S. on climate.